Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Enclave Audio

Deuce has never seen the sun or an open sky. She does not know what a tree is, and has never smelled the ocean. Deuce has spent her entire life underground, and all she knows are tunnels, Freaks (mutant monsters that eat flesh), and the people who live in her colony.

Now Deuce has a name instead of a number, and she is a Huntress, a person whose job it is to protect the colony and to get food. Deuce is not happy when she is paired with Fade, a strange Hunter who did not grow up in the enclave, but she does not complain.

On their first real mission together, they are sent to find out what has happened in a nearby enclave, and when they get there they are horrified to discover that it has been taken over by the Freaks. All the humans are dead. Back at home, the elders refuse to believe that the Freaks could be a real danger, and then Deuce and Fade are banished from the enclave.

For the first time in her life, Deuce leaves the tunnels. Luckily Fade was raised in the ruins of the city above ground and he knows how things are done there. He knows about the gangs that rule the city, and he is determined to seek out the place his dead father used to talk about. Somewhere, somewhere to the north of the ruins, there is a place where they can finally be safe. Fade feels the need to find out what happened in the past so that he can better understand the present. Unfortunately, the two young people have no idea where to go to find answers to their questions, and there are gangs and Freaks roaming in the ruins.

In this gripping and sometimes quite terrifying audiobook, adventure, surprises, powerful characters and a touch of romance combine to give listeners a memorable audio experience. Nothing is what you expect, and listeners will find themselves hoping against all hope that Deuce and Fade will find what they are looking for.

In her excellent narrative, Emily Bauer creates tension, taking her listeners to a world full of chaos, danger, and unknowns.